Boys will be Boys
by ZachaRicO
Summary: The Wallace Cup is about to begin. As Ash and May make some last minute preparations, they...uh...talk to each other, I guess? Oh, whatever. Light Advanceshipping; Rated T just to be safe


**For those of you who have been following "The Dark Crisis:" I know, I know...I almost want to apologize. Still no update? Don't worry: I've almost finished writing the next part of the story. It should be updated soon.**

 **And what's this? Oh, nothing much: just a little idea I came up with last night.**

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Ash looked at himself in the mirror of the dressing room to make sure his appearance was just right. He wore a black tuxedo over a white collared shirt and black vest. His gloves were white and covered his hands completely rather than leaving his fingers open, like his usual attire. His hair was contained by a black fedora.

"Doesn't exactly have the same ring to it," he mumbled to himself, adjusting the hat. "But hey, this is a formal competition. I gotta look formal, right buddy?"

" _Pika pika_!" Pikachu agreed.

"So whataya say? How do I look?" he asked, posing for his buddy.

" _Pikachu_!" Pikachu grinned, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"Awesome! You ready to have some fun, buddy?"

" _Pika_!"

"That's what I like to hear!" he grinned. "Let's go!"

"Uh...Ash?"

"YIKES!" the raven-haired trainer nearly jumped out of his skin in shock, as he was pretty excited. "Oh," he chuckled. "It's you, May. Jeez...why are we always scaring each other like that?"

"I don't know," his brunette friend from Hoenn giggled. "It's kinda funny if you ask me."

"In hindsight, I suppose."

" _Pikachu_."

May nodded as she sported that wonderful smile of hers. She was dressed quite differently from the rest of the competitors, dressing in an Arabian style. She wore a bright orange-pink crop top with an exquisitely designed heart on the front. She wore a large, flowing skirt and a veil over her brown hair.

"You look beautiful, May," Ash complimented her.

"Oh!" May exclaimed, surprised at Ash's sudden and seemingly out-of-character compliment. "Why...thank you, Ash!" she blushed, slightly. Then her eyes shot open when she realized what she was wearing. "Oh, wait a minute! You're looking at my belly button, aren't you?!" She looked slightly upset, as she put her hands on her hips.

"Uh...no, I'm serious, May. You really do look beautiful," Ash replied, slightly taken aback at her reaction. She just folded her arms across her chest, tapping her foot while giving him that stare again. He sighed and sweatdropped. "Okay, okay...yeah, I was looking at your belly button."

She shook her head at him and sighed. "I guess boys will be boys," she muttered.

"But I'm still serious, May," Ash said, looking her straight in the eye. "You really do look beautiful."

She returned his gaze and smiled. "Thanks, Ash," she said meekly, blushing again.

He nodded and blushed as well, unsure how he should respond. He couldn't figure it out, so he decided to change the subject. "What are you doing in here?" he asked. "I thought you were all ready to go."

"Okay, two things," May said, holding up two fingers as she counted. "First of all, the competition doesn't start for another hour, so we still have plenty of time to make any last-minute adjustments. Secondly, the reason I'm here is because I came to get something."

"Oh," Ash nodded. "All right." He sweatdropped. "I guess I'm just really excited for this."

"Mmhmm," May nodded, not exactly listening as she searched through her fanny pack. As she shuffled through it, a rose fell out.

"Huh?" Ash noticed it right away and picked it up. It was pretty withered, though not to the point of death. It looked as though it hadn't been in water for a while.

"Hm?" May looked up. "Oh, that," she blushed slightly.

"Lemme guess," Ash said. "Drew?"

"Yup. He gave it to me right before I left for Sinnoh. He said it was for good luck in the Wallace Cup."

"I see," Ash said, eyeing the flower warily as he handed it back to her. Then his gaze fell on her.

She blinked. "Ash? Why are you staring at me?"

"Huh? Oh!" he exclaimed, realizing he stared at her for a few seconds. "Sorry. I got a little, uh...lost in my thoughts. Sorry about that."

May was smart enough to know better. She folded her arms across her chest again. "Lost in your thoughts, hm? And you just so happened to be looking at me when you got lost in them. Is that right?"

Ash sighed in defeat. "You know me too well," he grumbled.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Uh…" Ash stammered, at a loss for words. "I, uh…"

May blinked at his confusion. Then a smile crossed her face as she got an idea. "It doesn't have anything to do with _Drew_ , does it?"

"What?! No, of course not!" Ash was swift to defend himself. "Why would I care about Drew?!"

May snickered to herself. _He's way too obvious_ she thought. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

" _Jealous_?!" Ash exclaimed. "Why would I be jealous?! What's there to be jealous of?!"

"You think I like him, don't you?"

Ash's response was incoherent sputtering. Pikachu watched his trainer have what appeared to be a mental breakdown, sweatdropping in utter confusion. _I've never seen Ash act like_ this _before_ he thought. Finally, the young trainer sat down in one of the chairs in silence.

May's smile didn't waver as she went and pulled up another chair to sit by him. "Ash," she said softly, "you don't have to get so worked up about Drew. I don't like him like that."

He blinked, eyes wide with a bit of excitement. "You don't?"

"No, silly," she giggled, picking up the dried rose. "He's a nice guy, but he's also a...uh...oh, how do I put this? Hm…"

Ash sat there and waited for her to come up with the word she was looking for. He smirked to himself. "Anytime tomorrow would be nice," he teased.

"A poser!" May exclaimed.

Ash blinked in surprise. "A what?"

"A poser. He's got this whole superficial act going on constantly."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused.

"Do you remember how he treated me when we first met?" she asked. "How he'd put me down and insult me?"

"Yeah," Ash said, slightly angered at the thought. May saw his fist clenched and smiled softly to herself.

"Well, Drew's not like that to me anymore, but ever since we started competing in Johto, I really started to notice how whenever he talked, he sounded like he was...well...someone else."

"Someone else?" Ash blinked again.

"That's probably not the best way to put it," May shrugged sheepishly. "What I'm saying is, he's not being himself. It's like he's putting on a show or something, except he's trying to convince everyone that the part he's playing is who he really is. When he gives me a rose, flirts with me, or really interacts with me at all, it's all just part of the act."

"You mean he's being insincere?"

"Not necessarily. I'm sure he means what he says much of the time. But more often than not, the way he says it sounds as if he's trying to come off as someone he's not."

"Hm…" Ash thought, putting his chin in his hand and stroking it. "That's...interesting." He looked back at her. "What about the others? Do they act the same way?"

"You mean Harley and Soledad? Pft. Harley's always putting on an act and trying to sabotage me. Thankfully the elite coordinators who run the whole competition have caught wind of his tactics. He hasn't been a bother to me since I came to Johto."

"Well, that's good," Ash chuckled. "What about Soledad?"

"Oh, she's nothing like either of them," May smiled. "She's always been genuine with me. Even though she's kinda aloof, whenever we do talk, she doesn't try to be someone she isn't. She's a lot like you in that sense."

Ash was taken aback by that last thing she said. "Like me?" he repeated.

"Yeah!" May said enthusiastically. "You're kind, brave, and always willing to help someone in need. You never try to be someone you're not. Heck, even now when you're entering a contest instead of battling, you're doing it in your own way rather than trying to mimic a coordinator. That's why I still consider you my best friend."

Ash was surprised by her words. "Wow," he said, slowly standing up. "I never knew you thought so highly of me."

"Seriously?" she blinked, standing up with him. "After all you did for me? You taught me everything I know. Why wouldn't I think highly of you?"

"Well, I figured you appreciated me teaching you how to be a trainer," he replied, "and – not to be conceited or anything, but – I guess I'm not surprised that you consider me as a best friend. But what you said about me not trying to be someone I'm not, I…" He trailed off.

"Go on," May smiled reassuringly.

"It's just that...well...I guess no one's ever said that about me before," Ash shrugged.

She kept smiling at him and gently took his hand. "Well, it's true," she said. "You really are one of a kind, Ash Ketchum."

"Well, we all are," he said.

May nodded as she gazed deep into his eyes. "Yes," she said softly. "Yes we are."

For a moment, the two of them just stood there, holding each other's hands and gazing into each other's eyes. Ash looked into her beautiful sapphire eyes, mesmerized at how captivating they could be. May looked into his bright brown eyes, which had changed to auburn, and felt safe, knowing that her hero was there for her. No matter what happened, he wouldn't let her down.

"Aww, you two look soo cute!"

"GAH!" they cried in shock, swiftly turning away from each other and blushing heavily.

"Dawn!" May said in annoyance. "How long were you standing there?!"

"Oh, I just got here. I need to get some stuff," the bluenette giggled. "Man, the way you guys were standing there holding hands and staring at each other...you almost looked like you were a couple!"

"Why am I not surprised?" May mumbled under her breath.

"Almost?" Ash repeated, puzzled by the wording.

"Yup!" Dawn said, not listening to his confusion. "Well, see ya!" With that, she happily skipped out.

"What did she mean by 'almost?'" Ash wondered aloud.

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu shrugged.

"Eh, whatever," he shrugged it off. "Either way, we're not a couple."

"No," May sadly sighed to herself. "No, we're not."

He blinked, noticing her change of mood instantly. He turned around to face her again. "Hey," he asked, "are you okay?"

"Hm?" May blinked, looking up.

"You seemed a little sad for a moment," Ash said. "Everything all right?"

"Oh, yeah," May nodded. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"You sure?" he asked. "If there's anything I can do –"

She stopped him mid-sentence by putting a finger to his lips. "It's fine, Ash," she smiled. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine."

"All right," he smiled. "But...if there's ever something bothering you, you know you can always talk to me, right?"

"Right," she said. "Thanks, Ash."

"No problem, May," he winked at her. Pikachu's stomach growled. "Uh-oh," he chuckled. "Looks like Pikachu's a little hungry. Wanna go get something to eat, buddy?"

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu nodded.

"All right. You coming, May?"

"No thanks. I still have some stuff to take care of in here."

"Okay," he said as he walked out of the dressing room. "See you in the contest!" he called back as he left.

May smiled as she watched the boy she loved walk away. "If only you knew how I felt about you," she said softly as she brushed her hair. "I know it should bother me that you don't know my feelings, and it should bother me even more that you may not feel the same way at the end of the day. But for some reason, being in love with you...it's not a burden for me. It's a joy I want to share with you someday." She looked lovingly at the doorway that he left through earlier. "You're more than just a genuine person, Ash," she went on. "You're the most genuine person I have ever met." She placed a hand over her heart, both her real heart and the one on her top. "I love you so much, my sweet prince," she whispered. Then she went over to her fanny pack and picked up what she came to get in the first place: her half of their Terracotta ribbon.

"Drew's roses may look pretty," she said to herself, "but they only stay that way for so long before they wither. But this ribbon…" she said as she held it to her heart. "It won't wither, and it won't die either. It'll last forever." She looked back at the doorway. "And so will we."

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 **What do you think? Feel free to rate and review, but no flames please!**

 **Personally, I think I wrote Ash and May more in character than I ever have. I may be thinking this in light of my current project, which is easily one of the darkest things I have written to date, but I have a feeling that I've never written them so in character before. But hey, that's just me.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'll catch ya later!**


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